2014 australian geography competition Question Booklet I N S T R U C T I O N S 1 Fill in your name, school code (your teacher will give you this), school’s postcode, your gender and age. You must fill in the ovals, not just write the letters and numbers, as the computer only reads the ovals. For example, a filled-in postcode (for some other school) would look like the sample on the right. Also fill in an oval in the school assigned column if instructed to do so by your teacher. Otherwise leave it blank. 2 If you are 13 years or under on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 1-30. 3 If you are 14 or 15 years old on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 1-40. 4 If you are 16 to 18 years old on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 16-50. 5 Answer all questions by filling in only one oval on the answer sheet corresponding to the most appropriate answer for each question. If you change your mind, you must erase the wrong answer so that only one oval is filled in for each question. 6 You have 35 minutes to answer the questions. The time to fill in the preliminary information is extra. 7 Do not mark the front or back of the answer sheet in any other way as this can lead to errors in the computerized marking, or to your not getting a result.
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2014 australian geography competitionQuestion Booklet
I N S T R U C T I O N S
1 Fill in your name, school code (your teacher will give you this), school’s
postcode, your gender and age. You must fill in the ovals, not just write the
letters and numbers, as the computer only reads the ovals. For example, a
filled-in postcode (for some other school) would look like the sample on the
right. Also fill in an oval in the school assigned column if instructed to do so by
your teacher. Otherwise leave it blank.
2 If you are 13 years or under on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 1-30.
3 If you are 14 or 15 years old on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 1-40.
4 If you are 16 to 18 years old on 31 August 2014 complete Questions 16-50.
5 Answer all questions by filling in only one oval on the answer sheet
corresponding to the most appropriate answer for each question. If you
change your mind, you must erase the wrong answer so that only one oval is
filled in for each question.
6 You have 35 minutes to answer the questions. The time to fill in the preliminary
information is extra.
7 Do not mark the front or back of the answer sheet in any other way as this can
lead to errors in the computerized marking, or to your not getting a result.
One of the most significant multi-day heatwaves on record affected southeast Australia from 13 to 18 January 2014. A dome of very hot air developed over Western Australia before moving eastwards over the southeast of the continent. A ________ pressure system remained near-stationary over the Tasman Sea from the 13th onwards, before a trough moved across the region on the 17th and 18th, bringing cooler air and ending the heatwave.
Figure 8. January 2014 heatwaveSource: adapted from Bureau of Meteorology
Australian Geography Competition 2014
Page 9
35 Approximately how many children aged between 0 and 4 years lived in Niger in 2013 (see Figure 9)?
A 0.4 million
B 0.8 million
C 1.7 million
D 3.4 million
E 4.0 million
36 Based on Figure 9, what is the most accurate way to describe the population of Niger?
A contracting with large families
B expanding with small families
C low growth rate with small families
D rapidly expanding with large families
E stationary with large families
37 Which type of statistic is given in Column C in Table 2?
A commercial
B demographic
C economic
D environmental
E social
38 Which country in Table 2 is Niger, a country in Sub-Saharan Africa?
A Country 1
B Country 2
C Country 3
D Country 4
E Country 5
39 In which region is Country 1 in Table 2? (Note list of countries in Table title.)
A Europe
B Pacific Islands
C South America
D South Asia
E Sub-Saharan Africa
40 One of the numbers below is Australia’s 2012 HDI value. Based on the data in Table 2, what is Australia’s value?
A 0.215
B 0.488
C 0.691
D 0.763
E 0.938
If you are under 16 years old on 31 August 2014 stop at Question 40. If you are older, continue to the end of the questions.
Figure 9. Population pyramid for Niger, 2013 Source: United States Census Bureau
00.40.81.21.62 21.61.20.80.40
Population (in millions) Population (in millions)Age Group
Table 2. 2012 Human Development Index (HDI) & components for Chile, Fiji, India, Niger, Norway Source: UNDP
ALife expectancy at
birth (years)
BMean years of
schooling
CGNI per capita
(Int$) *
DHDI value
Country 1 81.3 12.6 48 688 0.955
Country 2 79.3 9.7 14 987 0.819
Country 3 69.4 10.7 4 087 0.702
Country 4 65.8 4.4 3 285 0.554
Country 5 55.1 1.4 701 0.304
* Gross National Income per capita measured in ‘international dollars’, a hypothetical currency for international comparisons.
Australian Geography Competition 2014
Page 10
The quality of water entering the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area has deteriorated over the past 100 years, with a detrimental effect on marine ecosystems. Over the past 10 years, significant efforts have been made to improve the quality of water entering the Reef through monitoring and management of adjoining catchments. The Figures and Tables given here relate to two of these catchments – the Burdekin and the Pioneer.
Figure 10. Introduction to Q41 - Q50
Table 3. Characteristics of Burdekin and Pioneer catchments Source: Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Burdekin Pioneer
Area (km2) 130 035 1 687
Stream length (km) 13 949 248
Mean annual flow (Gl/yr) 7 595 946
Rainfall (mm) 500-1000 1200-2500
Table 4. Contribution of land uses in the Burdekin and Pioneer catchments to sediment exports to coast Source: Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Figure 11. Soil erosion under natural conditions (modelled)
Source: Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
500 100 200 km
Soil erosiontonnes/ha/yr
0 - 0.1
0.1 - 0.5
0.5 - 1
1 - 5
5 - 10
> 10
Burdekin catchment boundary
Pioneer catchment boundary
N
•
•
•
MACKAY
TOWNSVILLE
ROCKHAMPTON
CAIRNS•
Figure 12. Current soil erosion (modelled) Source: Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Australian Geography Competition 2014
Page 11
44 Look at the data in Table 5 on total erosion in the Burdekin catchment, under natural conditions and currently. The increase in total erosion is closest to:
A 80%
B 140%
C 800%
D 1000%
E 1400%
45 Which of these statements is consistent with the data in Table 5?
A The amount of sediment caused by riverbank erosion has decreased by approximately 50% in both catchments.
B Approximately 553 kilotonnes/yr of sediment are currently produced by hillslope erosion in the Burdekin catchment.
C Most of the eroded material in the Burdekin catchment currently reaches the sea.
D The sediment produced by hillslope erosion in the Pioneer catchment has changed very little over time.
E Total sediment exports to the coast have increased by approximately 8 times in the Pioneer catchment.
46 Which of these delivers the greatest amount of sediment to the coast (see Table 4)?
A forest/savannah in the Burdekin
B forest/savannah in the Pioneer
C grazing in the Burdekin
D grazing in the Pioneer
E sugar in the Pioneer
For Questions 41-50, use Figures 10 to 12, Tables 3 to 5, and your own knowledge.
41 What would be the main reason for the differences in erosion rates shown in the two maps?
A change of land use
B El Niño
C establishment of national parks
D global warming
E location of cities in the catchment
42 Looking at the two maps, which statement is correct?
A Areas with the highest erosion rates are centred around Cairns.
B The highest erosion rates occur in the upper reaches of the rivers.
C Most areas with the highest erosion rates are within 100 km of the coast.
D Prior to European settlement, most of the area had erosion rates higher than 1 tonne/ha/yr.
E There are currently no areas with erosion rates of less than 0.5 tonne/ha/yr.
43 Which of these has the least influence on rates of erosion?
A rainfall
B relief
C soil type
D temperature
E vegetation cover
Table 5. Erosion characteristics of the Burdekin and Pioneer catchments
Source: Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research
Burdekin Catchment Pioneer Catchment
Natural Current Natural Current
Total erosion (kilotonnes/yr)
780 11 536 59 553
Hillslope erosion as % of total
84 49 92 93
Gully erosion as % of total
0 44 0 3
Riverbank erosion as % of total
16 7 8 4
Total sediment exported to coast (kilotonnes/yr)
478 2 816 50 406
Australian Geography Competition 2014
Page 12
47 Which of these delivers the greatest amount of sediment to the coast per km2?
A forest/savannah in the Burdekin
B forest/savannah in the Pioneer
C grazing in the Burdekin
D grazing in the Pioneer
E sugar in the Pioneer
48 Suspended sediment is a serious problem in Reef waters primarily because it:
A causes deformities in marine organisms
B encourages outbreaks of coral-eating starfish
C leads to seagrass beds encroaching on corals
D reduces light reaching corals and seagrasses
E stops fish breeding
49 A much smaller proportion of eroded material from the Burdekin catchment reaches the sea, than from the Pioneer catchment. What would be the main reason for this?
A The Burdekin catchment is primarily grazing land.
B The Burdekin has a larger floodplain and delta.
C The Pioneer catchment has lower relief.
D The Pioneer has a larger volume of water flowing out to sea.
E The Pioneer River is dammed in its lower reaches.
50 Of these options, which is likely to be the most cost-effective and sustainable way to reduce total erosion in the two catchments?
A changing irrigation methods on sugar cane farms in the Pioneer catchment
B planting forests over all the grazing lands of the Burdekin catchment
C revegetation of gully areas in the Burdekin catchment
D sediment trap across the mouth of the Burdekin
E tree planting to control riverbank erosion on the Pioneer
Thank you for taking part in the 2014 Australian Geography Competition.